Barbie, Ken, and Juliet: Act 2, Scene 1

For a while I just stand in silence and stare at him, still not believing my eyes.  How could this possibly be real?  I mean, hanging out with me is one thing, but agreeing to kiss me is quite another.  Not that I disapprove of the idea…

“Please…tell me what you’re thinking,” Alex says, biting his bottom lip and shifting his feet back and forth.

“Well…I…I’m surprised,” I say weakly.  “I’m also a little confused.  Why didn’t you tell me who you were, and most of all, why aren’t you with Lindsay?”

Alex takes a deep breath and gulps before looking into my eyes with such intensity that my heart begins to race again.  “I didn’t tell you who I was because I knew that if you realized who I was, then we wouldn’t have felt able to connect like we did.  I know Lindsay is my girlfriend, but you’re my best friend, Celia, and…well… I have a confession to make: whenever I’m with her, all I can think about is you.”

 After saying that last bit, Alex escapes from my gaze, blushing and looking down at the ground.  He looks so adorable that I can’t help myself: with butterflies fluttering in my stomach, I shakily reach my hand out and gently touch his face.  Alex looks up in surprise, and our eyes meet.   I suddenly realize that the phrase about eyes being “windows to the soul” is definitely true.  As I gaze into Alex’s deep blue eyes, I see the most pure and beautiful soul that I’ve ever, and most likely will ever, see.  In that moment, all of my doubt and fear fades away, and we share a kiss that seems to make time stop.  Fireworks go off in my brain and the whole room disappears.  All I taste, all I feel, and all I see is Alex.  The moment seems to both last forever and yet end far too soon as we eventually part. 

We remain standing very close to each other, so close that I can still feel the heat of his body and hear his shallow breaths.  Before I can decide to kiss him again, however, a cry of anger rises above the crowd.  Startled, I turn away slightly from Alex, attempting to discover where the sound had come from.  I feel my face turn pale when I find out who had sent out the cry: Lindsay.  She is several feet away, plunging knives into us with her eyes.  I peer around at Alex and see that he looks like he’s just seen a ghost.

“What the hell are you doing?” Lindsay asks.  Not knowing which of us she’s talking to, neither Alex nor I answer.  Lindsay sighs in frustration.  “Oh.  I see how it is. You’ve both plotted against me!  It’s one thing for you to do this to me Alex, but my best friend?!  This is just too much.”

I start to open my mouth to respond, but before I can utter one word, Lindsay struts away with her head held high in disgust.  Neither Alex nor I attempt to go after her; we just silently watch her disappear into the crowd.  I feel guilty, but not, at the same time.  I know that Alex cheated on Lindsay and that she has a right to be angry, but the fact that she started dating him as soon as she found out I liked him still really pisses me off.  Lindsay thought that we were best friends, and I thought we were best friends too, but I suddenly realize that what we had was not friendship.  A true friend does not take her true love away from her, I think to myself, but then I inwardly gasp as I become conscious of the fact that I kind of did the same thing to her just now.  I look over at Alex, and he looks even guiltier than I do.

“I better go find Lindsay,” Alex says.  He takes in a shaky breath of air, and his shoulders slump as he gazes down at the ground.  Instead of pity, I’m filled with anger as I look at Alex.

“Yeah, you better,” I say, suddenly bitter.  “You screwed everything up, you know that, right?”

Alex winces and cowers, wringing his hands.  “I know.  I’m really sorry, Celia.”

“Being sorry doesn’t exactly cut it though, does it?  If you would’ve asked me out in the first place, none of this would’ve happened,” I say, sighing and pressing a hand to my temple.  There’s a pounding in my head, and I feel like I might explode from all the emotions I’m feeling.  I know I shouldn’t be so hard on Alex because I’m partly to blame too, but I don’t want to face that fact.  I’m desperately trying to push it out of my mind. 

“Well, what do you want me to say?” Alex asks, waving his arms around violently.  I’m taken aback by his sudden switch in mood.  “I messed up.  I know.  You don’t need to shove it in my face.”

Unbidden tears of anger and hurt fill my eyes.  I try to hastily brush them away and hide my face before Alex can see, but I don’t do a good enough job because he notices.  His brow smoothes over and a look of concern comes over his face.

“Oh, Celia,” Alex says, cupping his hand around my face and lifting it up so he can look me in the eyes.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

I blush and can’t help but smile, feeling his warm hand on my face and his eyes melting into mine.  He has such an effect over me.  It’s impossible to stay mad at him, and I guess I must have a similar effect over him.

“I know.  I’m just a little emotional right now, I guess,” I say.  “Sorry-”

“Don’t be,” he interrupts.  “I’m the one who really needs to be sorry.”  He releases his hold on my face and turns away.  “I need to talk to Lindsay.  I won’t be able to live with myself until I do.  I’ll talk to you later.” Alex begins to walk away, but I stop him.

“Wait,” I call out.  “Let me come with you.”

Alex turns to face me with a look of uncertainty.  “I don’t think that’s such a good idea,” he says.  “That might piss her off even more if she sees me with you again.”

“Yeah, but I need to apologize, too,” I persist.  “And if we go to her together, then we’ll both be there to support each other.  I don’t think I can do this alone, and I definitely don’t want you to do this on your own.  It’s not just you who is to blame, I’m to blame as well.”

Alex sighs resignedly.  “It’s not your fault, but if you want to come with me I suppose you can.  I probably wouldn’t be able to stop you from coming with me even if I wanted to.  You’re so stubborn.”  He sighs again but then gives me a small, appreciative smile.  “Thanks though, Celia.  I appreciate it.”

I smile and squeeze his hand.  “No problem.  Let’s go.  We can do this.”  …I hope.

 

 

 

Barbie, Ken, and Juliet: Act 1, Scene 3

 

 

“Let’s get this party started!” the DJ calls out. 

Cheers erupt from all of the dancers…all except one.  “Let’s not,” mutters Darth Vader.  He groans and tries to escape, but I grab his hand again. 

“Don’t be such a party pooper!” I tease, giving him a playful swat.  Glancing at Darth Vader, however, I notice that he’s standing stiff and awkward, wringing his hands nervously.  He appears distressed and nervous, and I regret having forced him out onto the dance floor.  “It’s okay.  There’s nothing to be afraid of,” I reassure him.  “I mean, even if you did make a fool out of yourself, no one knows who you are with your costume on.”  …Including me, I think to myself, wondering if I’ll ever figure out who he really is.  I must admit that I’m curious.  Then again, maybe it’s better that I don’t know…

“That’s true,” Darth Vader says, his voice a tad bit brighter.  Well, as bright as it can be when one has the voice of Darth Vader at least…

“Yes, it is true, so let’s dance!” I say.  And dance we do.  Darth Vader pleasantly surprises me.  He starts out dancing a bit uneasily, still nervous, but after a couple more songs, he’s completely into it and actually dances pretty darn good.  As the night progresses, the music gets more and more high-paced, so our dancing gets more and more energetic to match.  Darth Vader really starts to get into it, and there’s an electricity in the air that makes me feel high.  I’m high on Darth Vader: the way he moves and the heat of his body close to mine.  Eventually, the high reaches a crash, and we both take a break to catch our breath.

“Wow.  You lied to me,” I say, panting.  “You can dance.  That’s for sure.”

“I honestly don’t know where that came from,” Darth Vader says.  “Seriously, I always suck at dancing.  I’m too self-conscious about it, I guess.  Tonight though, for some reason, I felt…free.  It’s probably the costume.  You know, knowing that no one knows who I am and all.”

“Well, you definitely don’t need to feel self-conscious,” I say.  “You are an amazing dancer.”

“Thanks,” he says shyly. 

There’s a moment of awkwardness, which is even more elevated by the sudden change in music.  The lights change to a muted navy blue, and the DJ calls out, “It’s time to take it down a notch and to grab that special someone.  It’s ‘slow dance time.’ ”   I blush and look down at my hands.  We stand there, uncertain and shy, until I see Darth Vader shakily take my hand.

“Would you…like to dance with me, Juliet?” he stutters. 

I beam and wrap my arms around him in place of a verbal answer.  My chest flutters with happiness as we slowly twirl around the room, Darth Vader holding me close.  I want to capture this moment and keep it forever.  Sadly, the song ultimately comes to an end.  We stop dancing but don’t release our hold on each other.  I sigh blissfully, but in the back of my mind I feel a sudden urgency to know his name.  I don’t want to leave without even knowing his name or seeing the face beneath the mask.  My heart skips a beat as I realize how I could go about doing this.  I hesitate, but then just tell myself: go for it!  “Darth Vader, would you remove your mask, so I may kiss you?” I ask.

“Of course,” he says.

Darth Vader slowly removes his mask.  When it’s completely off, I gasp in surprise of the face that is revealed.  “Oh my God…….Alex?!”

Perception Pond

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it dank and dirty?

Blue and brilliant?

Lush and lustrous?

You decide

Because the pond is yours

To choose.

 

First Kiss

 

Expectation:

On a starry night, by a lovely pond,

A handsome prince sweeps me off my feet

And kisses me gently and passionately.

 

Reality:

On a stormy night, in the middle of the rain,

an awkward boy with raging hormones and braces,

 clumsily presses his lips on mine.

 

I wouldn’t trade the reality

for anything.

The imperfection of reality

is perfect.

 

Emptiness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know I need to move on, but

I can’t

Carry the ache in my chest.

I can’t

Heal the hole in my heart.

I can’t

Stand the emptiness.

I can’t

Forget you.

I can’t

Love anyone else

But you.

I can’t.

 

Free Gloves

So, this poem is kind of odd, but I think it's still kind of cool, too.  It was part of a poem exercise that I did in my independent writing class.  I picked three random magazine clippings from a box and was supposed to make a poem from those clippings.  My clippings were the following: "Free gloves," "Take charge," and "Get glowing."  So...the poem below is the result.  


Do you ever feel
that you want to be free?
Free like
free gloves.

Tired of being worn down
and used,
covering up and caring for others
but not yourself.

You need to take charge
and get glowing
like white gloves
dropped in the dark.
Free like
free gloves.

Barbie, Ken, and Juliet: Act 1, Scene 2

“This is going to be so fun!” Lindsay exclaims as she leaps gracefully out of the car, like a peppy cheerleader.

I sigh and groan as I slam my car door and slowly trudge along after her.  Looking behind me, I notice that Alex has already disappeared.  I find this disappointing, since he is the only one here I could possibly be interested in seeing, but the evil side of me is also pleased because now Lindsay will be frantically looking for Alex.  Lindsay’s smile disappears as she realizes that her boyfriend is nowhere in sight.

“Alex?” Lindsay asks, glancing around in confusion.  “Where are you?”

I turn away and smirk, but Lindsay notices before I get a chance to turn away completely.  She gives me a suspicious glare.

“You know where he is, don’t you?” Lindsay says, her pencil-thin eyebrows set in angry arches.

I look at her in mock confusion.  “Where who is?  I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Alex,” she says, stomping her foot like a toddler having a tantrum.  “Where is he?”

“How am I supposed to know?  You were sitting right next to him like two minutes ago, and you’re his girlfriend, so if anyone were to know where he is, it should be you,” I say putting my hands up in frustration.

Lindsay blushes and fixes her hair, trying to recover.  “Well, you still know him better.  You guys have been best friends since junior high, so I think it’d be you who would know where he might disappear to.”

Hmm. Fair point.  I guess Barbie’s got more brains than I thought.  “True.  Well, I would say he’d go right to the refreshments table.  He loves food, that’s for sure.”

“Thank you, Celia,” Lindsay says, with a far too perky smile on her face as she confidently strolls away.  I just stand there for a few moments, watching her strut away like a runway model.  I shake my head, trying to break free from my gloomy mood.  I might as well try to enjoy myself, right?  Who knows, maybe I’ll meet some handsome prince or something. 

So, I begin to make my way through a crowd of colors.  Just looking at all of the different costumes people are wearing is enough to lighten my mood.  I stand off to the side, just observing and putting the costumes into categories.  There are the usual costumes: an angel, a fairy, a firefighter, a doctor, a princess, etc…  Then, there are the slut costumes: slutty nurse, slutty cowgirl, slutty pirate, slutty pretty much anything you can imagine. Finally, there are the funny, clever, or odd-ball costumes (which are my favorites): a toilet, a ketchup bottle, Mario and Luigi, Big Bird…and Darth Vader.  The Darth Vader costume is particularly impressive; tall, imposing, and wearing all the right gear, the guy looks pretty much exactly like the real thing.  The nerd that I am is very intrigued, so I figure why not go over to the dark side and talk to Darth Vader?  When I approach him he doesn’t notice me at first, so I reach up and tap him on the shoulder.  He turns around and looks down at me (at least he appears to be doing this).  I have a sudden doubt come into my mind: What if this guy is some kind of creeper?  He could be looking down my dress this very moment.  As I think this, I unconsciously pull the collar of my dress up higher, just in case.

“Um, hey!” I say.  “Just thought I’d tell you that I love your costume.”

“Thanks,” he says in the low, breathy voice of Darth Vader. 

“Oh, sweet!  I dig the voice changer,” I say, totally geeking out over this guy’s authenticity.  “Say something else,” I add eagerly.

“Ummm…what do you want me to say?” Darth Vader says.

His statement makes me laugh for some reason.  It’s probably due to the fact that the real Darth Vader would never say “ummm,” or be hesitant in any way, like this Darth Vader seems to be.  I have to say that I find it very endearingly comical, and I want it to continue.  “Say something that Darth Vader would never say.  How about ‘I love puppies’?”

“Okay,” he says.  “I love puppies.”

I burst out laughing, and Darth Vader joins in, which makes me laugh even harder.  Darth Vader is laughing.  I thought I’d never see the day. 

“Thanks for that, Darth Vader.  I really needed a laugh,” I say, after I’m finally able to control myself.

“Glad to be at your service,” he says.

“Wow,” I say, raising my eyebrows in mock surprise.  “I never knew Darth Vader was such a gentleman.”

“He’s full of surprises, I guess,” Darth Vader says.  “I never knew Juliet was such a geek.”

“How did you know I was Juliet?” I ask, surprised.

“Well, the outfit kind of gave it away,” he says, shrugging his shoulders.

“Hmmm, I suppose,” I say.  “My friends didn’t know who I was supposed to be though.  The Dark Side must be giving you some extra skills.”

“I wish,” Darth Vader says, laughing ironically.  We’re silent for a few moments, taking in the scene around us.  As people begin to gather on the dance floor, fast-paced music pours from the speakers.  The crowd slowly begins to move about and dance to the music.

“You want to dance?” I ask.  Darth Vader just laughs.  “What’s so funny?”

“I can’t dance,” he says.  “The Dark Side hasn’t provided me with that skill.”

“Aw, come on,” I say.  “You don’t have to be a professional to dance.  I dance like crap, but I still do it anyways.  It’s fun!”  Before he can respond, I take Darth Vader by the hand and lead him away from the Dark Side and into the light.